(DailyVantage.com) – Pennsylvania police arrested a biologically male teenager who later transitioned to female after the teen confessed to murdering a 12-year-old. The shocking case received national attention when it first broke in November 2022. Following his arrest, the 18-year-old murderer, Joshua Cooper, announced he identified as a female and requested that authorities call her “Ash” when speaking to him. Despite Cooper transitioning to a female gender identity, the teenage killer will remain incarcerated in a male-only facility for the remainder of his 15 to 40-year prison sentence.
Police first learned about Cooper murdering the unidentified 12-year-old girl after one of Cooper’s friends told the deceased teen’s mother that Cooper showed her video footage of the 12-year-old’s dead body. After showing the unnamed friend the girl’s body, Cooper reportedly began insisting that she help with cleaning up the crime scene and getting rid of the body. The girl refused to assist Cooper and quickly informed the victim’s mother, who reported Cooper to the police.
Police immediately went to the suspected crime scene, where they saw an unidentified teenager running out of the trailer where they discovered the 12-year-old’s body. Authorities later confirmed that the unidentified teenager spotted by police was 18-year-old Cooper, who remained the murder’s only suspect. After a preliminary investigation, police found various cleaning supplies and bleach, indicating Cooper had attempted to clean up the crime scene using different methods.
Investigators also confirmed that the victim had been partially undressed by Cooper, prompting speculation of a sexual assault occurring shortly before the crime. According to reports, Cooper killed the 12-year-old girl by shooting her in the neck, which caused her to die from blood loss. When describing the crime scene, investigators used the word “gruesome” when referring to the amount of blood in the trailer where police found the victim. Following Cooper’s arrest, police began questioning the teen, who quickly confessed to murdering the young girl.
Cooper said that he used her father’s firearm to murder the victim, as Cooper’s father allegedly left the safe housing the gun easily accessible. Cooper also confirmed that he had a prior relationship with the victim, which occurred sometime before the heinous murder. Authorities said that Cooper had been connected to other unrelated sexual offenses, but the only violent offense on the teenager’s criminal record is the 12-year-old girl’s murder. Cooper remains incarcerated and will be eligible for release after the first 15 years of his prison sentence.
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